Friday, March 10, 2000
Mason faces bump in the road
Beavercreek could block Comets' path to state
BY DAVE SCHUTTE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Before Mason moved up from Division II to Division I four years ago, coach Ed Zink's Beavercreek girls basketball team dominated in Southwestern Ohio.
The Beavers qualified four times for the state's final four and won the 1996 state championship, knocking off such powers as Mercy and Lakota en route to the title.
But that's all changed. Mason has made it to the regional championship game four straight years, winning twice and finishing in the runner-up spot two years ago.
At noon Saturday, Beavercreek will be out to regain control when it plays Mason for a Division I regional championship at Wright State's Nutter Center.
Beavercreek and Mason have played twice. They met last year in the regional championship, which the Comets won 61-55, and in December, when Mason rallied from a 15-0 deficit for a 53-41 victory.
“Sure we're a different team today than early in the season,” Beavercreek's Zink said. “We lost seven girls off last year's team and we were playing with a lot of young kids. They now have a season under their belts.”
The Beavers match up well against the Comets on the inside and outside.
Junior Tiffany Webb is the point guard, and Emily Williams starts at the shooting guard position. Shannon Gardner, Heather Kaiser and Mica Music play the inside positions.
The Beavers' key inside player is Alison Bales, a 6-foot-4 freshman substitute who has averaged nearly 14 points a game during tournament play.
“They were a young team the first game,” Mason coach Gerry Lackey said of Beavercreek in the teams' game earlier this season. “They mirror our team on the inside and outside. We also must contend with the freshman (Bales) on the inside.”
Mason counters with Racquel Ellis and Susan Lippert at the guard positions, Michelle Munoz at center and Beth Jones and Jere' Issenmann as the forwards.
“The key against Mason is handling their pressure,” Zink said. “We'll bring in the guys this week to scrimmage, which should get us ready for the pressure.”
While Mason plays a hard, man-to-man defense, Beavercreek is known for its 2-3 matchup zone that limited Mount Notre Dame to 13 percent shooting from the field (7-of-15) earlier this season.
“All we heard after the game was that the Beavercreek players said it was a fluke,” Lippert said of Mason's defensive performance. “We want to show them we deserved to win.”
Beavercreek's Gardner doesn't think Mason's victory over her team this season will give the Comets an edge Saturday.
“It was early in the season and we weren't in good physical condition,” Gardner said. “We were tired in the fourth quarter, and that's when they beat us. We're now in better condition and ready for them.”
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